Related papers: Using Interplanetary Medium as Propellant for Plas…
Pulsed laser ablation propulsion has the potential to revolutionize space exploration by eliminating the requirement of a spacecraft to carry its propellant and power source as the high-power laser is situated off-board. More…
NASA has been considering a solar sail that would accelerate a craft to a high velocity (~ 14 AU/yr) by the time it reached 5 AU. Then the sail would be dropped and the craft would coast alone to deep space. We propose that the sail be…
This work presents a more detailed analysis of the process of magnetic reconnection as promising ion beam accelerator mechanism with possible applications in laboratory plasmas and, more importantly, in the plasma propulsion field. In a…
Dusty plasma medium turns out to be an ideal system for studying the strongly coupled behavior of matter. The large size and slow response make their dynamics suitable to be captured through simple diagnostic tools. Furthermore, as the…
Cosmic ray acceleration in turbulent interstellar medium is considered. Turbulence is treated as ensemble of moving magnetic traps. We derive equations for particle momentum distribution function that describes acceleration of particles in…
The author applies, develops and researches mini-sized Micro- AB Thermonuclear Reactors for space propulsion and space power systems. These small engines directly convert the high speed charged particles produced in the thermonuclear…
Recent progress towards the non-fission ignition of thermonuclear micro-explosions raises the prospect for a revival of the nuclear bomb propulsion idea, both for the fast transport of large payloads within the solar system and the launch…
I review those properties of the interstellar medium within 15 light-years of the Sun which will be relevant for the planning of future rapid ($v /ge 0.1c$) interstellar space missions to the nearest stars. As the detailed properties of the…
Under ideal MHD conditions the magnetic field strength should be correlated with density in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, observations indicate that this correlation is weak. Ambipolar diffusion can decrease the flux-to-mass ratio…
Radiation hazard on board of a relativistic rocket can be of internal and external origin. Because of its highest specific energy density, antimatter is considered to be the preferred rocket fuel for accelerating a multi-ton rocket up to…
Interstellar turbulence is expected to dissipate quickly in the absence of continuous energy input. I examine the energy available for driving the turbulence from six likely mechanisms: magnetorotational instability, gravitational…
Interstellar comets arrive with key ingredients for deep-space platforms already in place: volatile inventories convertible to propellant, natural rotation providing continuous attitude variation, and hyperbolic trajectories that carry them…
The fission thrust sail as booster for nuclear fusion-based rocket propulsion for future starships is studied. Some required aspects of these systems such as neutron moderation and sail regeneration are discussed. First order calculations…
This perspective paper deals with an overview of particle-in-cell / Monte Carlo collision models applied to different plasma-propulsion configurations and scenarios, from electrostatic (E x B and pulsed arc) devices to electromagnetic (RF…
Anitmatter-based propulsion is often cited as a physically plausible route to relativistic interstellar travel, and thus as a potential mechanism by which technologically advanced civilizations could expand throughout the galaxy. Its…
A novel non-reactive thrust principle based on controlling the angular momentum of a material body is proposed. Theoretically, it is shown that asymmetric emission/absorption of low-energy particle fluxes with spin in a direction…
The habitable zones of low-mass stars are characterized by escape speeds that can be a few times higher than the Earth's orbit around the Sun. Owing to the exponential dependence of the required fuel mass on the terminal speed for chemical…
Interstellar space is filled with a dilute mixture of charged particles, atoms, molecules and dust grains, called the interstellar medium (ISM). Understanding its physical properties and dynamical behavior is of pivotal importance to many…
To generate a propulsive force without propellant and external couplings, it has been shown that two confined macroscopic and time-varying charge density waves well separated in space are needed. Here, some physical conditions will be…
Operating satellites in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) benefits the already expanding New Space industry in applications including Earth Observation and beyond. However, long-term operations at such low altitudes require propulsion systems to…